Why I'm Here
by Selene Moonstar
Summary: Po is about to be married, and he's on his way there, but there's a question that keeps playing in his mind. Rated T for Teen due to light cursing.
1. Where I'm Going

**Artist's Comments**

I don't put artist's comments at the top unless I'm certain that I think you need to know something prior to reading a fiction.

Apologies in advance for not mentioning all of this sooner, especially for those who were supposed to be given credit as well as the curious.

 **#1. _Why I'm Here_ was partly inspired by a rumor I had heard prior to actually watching _Kung Fu Panda 3_ , the rumor revolving around Mei-Mei being Po's fiance through betrothal. ** Much to the relief of my TiPo fanatic side, I can assure you that none of this is actually true, but it was a good kick of inspiration.

 **#2. _Why I'm Here_ 's second piece of inspiration (primarily the basic idea itself) came from another fiction piece: a one-shot titled _Almost Wedding_ , by MasterTigress4444.** A little forewarning though - her take on the basic idea revolves more around Tigress, not Po. I did Po simply because of the _Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special_ and how Po acted in that short film - it was a good start for ideas and what to write. If you've seen the short film, you'll understand, and probably have a better idea where this fiction would be going anyway.

Forgive me for saying so, but when you're like me and spent too much time reading fanfiction on a regular basis, your standards on what's good and what sucks becomes a little higher than those who can handle the average one-thousand to about two-thousand in word count one-shots. Don't get me wrong, I've read some fiction pieces that still carry that average word count that are actually good and tear-jerking, but for the others...

I suppose you can say that while I did enjoy MasterTigress4444's take on the idea, and the writing is commendable, I was still bothered by the fact that it was... well... _short_.

Are all short fictions bad? No

The point is that I wanted more, and I came to the conclusion that if I wanted more, I would have to do it myself.

 **#3. _Why I'm Here_ 's cover page was designed by Wolf-Chalk. **The artist was really nice to me and offered to make a cover for this piece after I had gained permission to use her _Gongmen's Scars_ piece for another short story I have, also titled _Gongmen's Scars_. If you don't believe me, look up Wolf-Chalk on DeviantArt and take it up with the artist.

So now that we have a basic understanding of inspiration and permission, I will not take up anymore of your time for why you originally clicked this link in the first place.

 **Without further ado - _Why I'm Here_.**

* * *

Marriage...  
That sacred vow knit together by promise and love...  
The passion of the union, and the happiness of the witnesses that would later testify about the holy matrimony. In fact, the passion was in everything about the wedding itself: the decorations, the magic of the neatly lit lanterns, the effort that was put into the feast to later celebrate the new husband and wife, and just sharing the one moment that occurred once but lasted forever.

So was the way of marriage: putting down everything for a significant other, from one's interests to one's very life. It would be as if they had become one being.

Today was no different – everything had been set for the glorious day. Due to the couple themselves, it was all the more promising to be a moment not only remembered in the hearts of the relatives, but in the history of China itself.

Yes, these people were that well-known.  
Well, to be more specific, the groom was that well-known across the face of China. Perhaps that's why there were more people than even the relatives knew. Of course the relatives would be there, but within one night's time, the Valley of Peace had become less peaceful due to the sea of faces, the number of people numbering almost in infinity. If one could count the grains of rice in a rice-field, so were the number of people that were intending to be there to see the marriage.

It would be hard enough to get the groom and his bride through the large crowd towards the Jade Palace, but the present circumstances was trying to just let the family through. Out of respect for the groom and bride, the family was going through first, the sea of faces parting for the escort that was leading an all too familiar goose and a great number of pandas behind him.

Strangely enough, the groom had two fathers – the one who had raised him for twenty years, and the biological father who had just found him. By now, both fathers had a goofy, mutual understanding for one another, and had come to accept that they were both his fathers. It only made the situation more tranquil, as neither the adopted or biological father would miss their son's wedding for all of China, and likely the whole world.

Well, at least as tranquil as it could ever be. With as many people that were coming, it might be anything _but_ tranquil – at least until the ceremony actually happens.

The arrangements had long since been decided before this fateful day: just like how he was carried the first time as the Dragon Warrior, it was decided that the bride would be carried in a similar fashion, except there would be more of a flower design and a white veil to cover the bride from the cheering crowd. Long before then, the groom would be waiting for his bride at the top of the stairs inside of the Jade Palace. It was rather strange for a location, but he had insisted that he wanted to be married there – not just because of the serenity that was in the palace due to its jade color, but the memories that he had made there.

Po had decided that he would walk up the stairs to wait for his bride, but coming down would not be the same fashion: after all, they had another seat waiting for the newfound couple once they were married. Due to the previous predicament of trying to get a panda up one thousand steps, it had been decided that not only the bride would be brought up not by geese or pigs (much less bunnies), but by more stronger creatures, such as the gorillas that surpassed pandas in size and, in many cases, strength.

After the defeat of Lord Shen, some of the gorillas had submitted to the authority of China, some even trying to exceed their beginning standards when they tried to start over. Due to this effort, some had won the attention of the palace, and since some of the special guests had greater girth than what they were accustom to, it had been decided that they volunteer for special occasions.

To be at the wedding of the Dragon Warrior, and to carry his bride, that was an honor.

Exactly why the groom was not there yet, no one really knew, but what they did know was that he had to come, and would be there. The only people who knew more than usual was the Furious Five, looking at the groom with worry as he was leaning against the rock, Tigress rubbing his back in comfort as the midnight snack he had just a few hours ago was coming back up his mouth and into the river. No one really wanted to look, and thus didn't, but rubbing the groom-to-be's back was something Tigress had learned from Po's father – a rather common sense thing, but still something she took into consideration in case something like this happened.

The happiness of everyone else's was at an all-time high, but so were the nerves of the groom, and the only ones who were aware of Po's personal predicament was the very five that were with him now.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Viper asked, who had been on the rock Po was leaning against, yet didn't look whenever he gagged up more of his food.

"Don't worry, I'll be-" Po said before hurling up what could have been yesterday's dinner (or lunch), "-fine…"

He even needed a minute to gasp to make up for the air he lost throwing up, not turning around to face the others – just lifting his paw in reassurance as he continued, "Just nervous… that's all."

"Yeah, but normally… you don't throw up when you're nervous," Crane pointed out, "You just… eat a lot… well… more than usual."

"I just overdid it on the breakfast this morning," Po insisted, coughing up what was left in his system and washing his mouth of any of the excess with the river-water that had not been polluted by what had just been delivered from his insides before turning to face his friends with his signature cocky smile, "Even I have a limit with food, but don't you worry about a thing – soon we'll all be laughing about this after I'm… well… you know… with her."

"Married, Po," Tigress corrected, putting a paw of reassurance on his shoulder, "You're going to be married."

"Yeah…" Po agreed nervously, "…M-Married…"

"I just think he's letting his nerves get the best of him," Mantis said rather bluntly, "I mean, your girlfriend is pretty good-looking for a panda."

"Mantis is right," Monkey agreed, "You and Mei-Mei make a cute couple."

"Thanks guys," Po said with a small smile, "I'm just really nervous right now."

"Po," Viper explained in a reassuring manner, "It's perfectly normal to feels this way on your wedding way – just about every groom feels this way, yet are extremely happy that they're getting married to someone they care the most about."

"I wouldn't," Mantis chimed in.

"That's because you haven't been in Po's shoes," Crane remarked, "Besides, your head would be eaten off by then."

"Good point."

"Look, guys," Po reassured, "I'm going to be okay… Viper's right – this happens to everyone who's going to… you know… get married…"

"Just don't throw up when you get to the altar," Monkey reminded him, "And you'll do fine."

Po smiled at his friends, considering himself rather fortunate as he remembered what good friends he had before him. Sure, they didn't necessarily have the best start, but that didn't stop their awesome friendships to develop. Heck, it didn't even stop Master Tigress from obtaining a level of respect for the panda warrior. From when he fell into her life (literally) up until now, Po had improved much, many of those cases involving Tigress – from beating some sense into him (literally) to just mentally getting through him in the words that came out of her mouth.

If there was anyone just as close to him as Mei-Mei (perhaps even closer), it was, in the strangest sense to those who didn't understand their relationship, the Master Tigress.

As everyone was heading back to the Jade Palace to witness the union of Po and Mei-Mei, he mentally stopped himself, realizing that the thought that just went through his head didn't make any sense to him. If the Dragon Warrior would stop fighting and be completely honest with himself, the only person in all of China (except his adopted goose father) who knew him extremely well and took it even better was Tigress. He would even dare to admit to himself that Tigress was probably the most understanding in the whole world, and that was amazing if one were to look at the beginning of their relationship.

Yes, out of all the people to have a rough start, Po and Tigress were the worst. She wasn't the most expressive about how she was really feeling about the panda when he was chosen by Master Oogway to be the Dragon Warrior, but for her, everything seemed to crash the moment she laid her eyes on that panda.

Even after she gave him her respect, and later friendship, everything started to crash, but not in the same way. More than even she would care to admit, there were some moments were it was just too close.

Exactly who thought it was too close more for the other was debatable.  
Then again, only one knew so much about how the other was feeling when they thought they had lost them to boundaries they couldn't reach.

Why it was making him frown, he wasn't so sure, but he realized that, in a twisted sense, he felt like he was losing Tigress. No, she wasn't in any physical danger, like they had endured with Tai-Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai, but there was something about the moment that felt threatening, yet he was able to reason with himself that there was nothing to worry about – no one was physically hurt.

Why, then, did his heart ache so much at the thought of being married? Mei-Mei was likeable, and very pretty in her own sense, but something seemed off, like something was added to the noodle soup that ruined the entire flavor, or perhaps a secret ingredient that was bothering him.

Then again, he knew that there was no such thing as a secret ingredient – he had learned that in his first quest as the Dragon Warrior… actually, just his first mission in Kung-Fu altogether.

He had hidden his doubts behind his smile as to not worry his friends. Heck, he was even trying to smile to himself on the inside because he knew what he was doing was right. Everyone approved of their relationship, and even approved of their marriage, so what the heck was bugging him so much?

If only he could answer his own question – he didn't want to ask anyone, least to disappoint the number of people that came far and wide to see this holy union.

Why exactly wasn't he happy? In his head, the only reason why he felt off about this primarily had to do with what was going on in his heart.

He kept pushing it off as butterflies in his stomach, but he was starting to doubt that it was anything but that anymore.

Maybe it was the fact that he had suddenly agreed to this? Sure, he got to know Mei-Mei, but he sincerely doubted that he actually knew her. After all, he was only acquainted with her for what seemed to be a short time before he came to realize the inevitable.

Nonetheless, the debate of off feelings or just his ignorance began to battle with him. It's not like he knew what to do at this point except take a vow, but if there was one thing that was true, it was the fact that Po had come to understand the power of words – the way they can make or break anyone.

Odd, it was words that Po started to remember the most as he walked with his friends through the bamboo forest and to the Jade Palace, glancing at a certain feline as he began to remember words that she had said to him so long ago.

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

 ** _Where I'm going is without you..._**


	2. Why I'm Going

It was strange – thinking about another woman on the day of one's wedding.

If Po had not been such good friends with Tigress, then maybe he would have been worried, but it was comforting thinking about how far they had come – not just as friends, but as individuals, as companions, and just existing side by side. If it had been the old Tigress, she probably wouldn't be here, much less touch him, but from proving oneself to the other to practically dying for the other, it was almost amazing that he wasn't marrying _her_ instead of Mei-Mei.

He shook the thought out of his head – he was marrying Mei-Mei today, not Tigress.

Besides, he was only thinking about the memories involving Tigress because of what happened because of her influence: he had become a stronger individual because of her.

 _"I mean, you don't belong in the Jade Palace – you're a disgrace to Kung-Fu, and if you have ANY respect for who we are, and what we do, YOU will be gone by morning._

He couldn't blame anyone for feeling that way when they had met – working your whole life for something and having someone suddenly take that away from you. Sure, he just wanted to know who the Dragon Warrior was at the time, but he, nor anyone else, would have suspected that it would have been someone who wasn't even trained from birth in the art of Kung-Fu.

In fact, he never held it against them – didn't mean that the memory didn't hurt though. If they hadn't, perhaps Ooway's words wouldn't mean so much to him like they did today and keep trying until he got it right… even if he did fail more times than others.

Perhaps he failed the most – that's why he could commend himself for _getting back up_ the most.

If he hadn't gone so low only to get back up, then he sincerely doubted that he would have been able to see Tigress smile for the first time, commemorating him as a master for the first time too.

Things just took off from there – once he had her respect, he realized that he also had her support too. Once he proved that he could improve, Tigress was there to keep pushing him without breaking him. Once he was able to show that he wanted this, Tigress was there to support him.

Yes, everyone else was just as encouraging, but there was just something about Tigress that made him feel special.

No, no! He had to get those thoughts out of his head – he was to be married!

Still, there was no doubt in his mind that there were things he wouldn't be able to forget, such as the frustration that he was suffering through when he was beating up the mass. Then again, he didn't have inner peace at the time, and later the ship lost what peace it had because of him.

 _"Inner peace! Inner peace! Inner peace, inner peace, inner peace, inner peace, inner-"_

 _A feline clearing her throat reached his ears, snapping him out of his frustration as he removed his head from the mass – he was surprised that she was out there, but it didn't come too much of a surprise that it was Tigress._

 _After all, it's not like anyone else could sneak up on the ship._

 _"Oh…" Po said in embarrassment, twiddling his fingers as he tried to come up with an excuse into why he was making so much noise, "I'm… uh… training…"_

The fact that Tigress couldn't feel anything in her paws was severally cool (as he had put it when she told him about it the first time), but every once in a while, he couldn't help but wonder if Tigress had ever regretted putting so much effort into her paws that it would cost her from feeling anything. Yes, it was great in combat to have such strong hands, but ever since he started to ponder about her personal life, he kind of felt sorry for her from time to time.

He even wondered from time to time if Tigress ever wanted to feel anything from a significant other – feeling the fur in between her fingers as they embraced one another, the sensation of touching one's face as they leaned into one another about to-

Wait, why was he imagining himself and Tigress doing this? How unfaithful he felt towards Mei-Mei, and they weren't even married yet?

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

There rang those words again, like they were taunting him to getting out of this.

No – he cared too much about what was at stake to back out from this now. Besides, he kept telling himself that he would be happy with Mei-Mei as the Valley of Peace came into view, the eyes of so many people lightening up with joy as they recognized the Furious Five and their beloved Dragon Warrior whom was soon to be married.

He had agreed in the past to walk up the stairs that had so many people looking at him and seeking his attention. In one way, the people weren't exactly a good thing, since he couldn't pay too much attention to his thoughts. However, due to the people, that added more time to get up the stairs and, ironically, have more thoughts pass in the back of his head.

Any thoughts about backing out now he slapped down mentally – everyone congratulating him was evidence and reassurance to continue with this. He had to do this.

Most people had come due to his title, but he knew that his family was waiting at the top for him.

Mei-Mei's family was at the top as well, and soon her family would be his own.

Why wasn't he happy then? Could it be that the memories that were flashing before him started to kill the mood of the wedding? Why was he thinking about the time that Tigress had hugged him, saying she understood? Why did his heart ache when he thought about Tigress crying out his name when he was shot by the canon? What was it about the moment he saw Tigress hurt because she stood in the way for him that made him snap? He had to keep hiding how he was feeling though – he was about to be married. If it could be helped, he'd much prefer be ridding himself of the memories.

Then again, he knew he was lying to himself when the thought crossed his mind – he ididn't/i want to get rid of those memories… they were too important to him.

If someone in the heavens was playing a sick joke, or perhaps trying to tell him something before he made one of the worst mistakes in his life, then he begged for him to tell him now. He was tired of thinking about another woman, however important she may be, when he was about to be married to another.

He felt that he was cheating on Mei-Mei, and she did nothing to deserve something so traitorous from her soon-to-be husband. Po just wanted to stop thinking about it before he did something stupid.

After all, it was because of stupid thoughts that lead him, or anyone else, to do stupid things.

He couldn't do something stupid on his wedding day – this was a memory that was going to live forever in the history of China. Yes, he was normally silly, but this was a serious situation. After all, this wasn't just about him – it was about Mei-Mei too.

This, although not as much, was also about Tigress.

He had to stop thinking about her.

"Po?"

"Yeah?"

By now, everyone was far ahead of them, some of them already at the top, but Tigress was practically next to him.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," Po replied, "Just… you know, the stairs."

She smiled at him…  
She _smiled_ at him!  
Thank the heavens he had fur, or his blush would have been too obvious.

"Don't worry, Po, I'm right here," she said.

That was the problem… well, more along the lines of a problem he didn't want to fix.  
Tigress was _there_ , with _him_ , just as she had always been.

Even when she was at her weakest, she did her best to be strong.

At the time she was floating on a piece of the ship, at the time where Po was actually stronger than her, she did what she could to hold on until her body couldn't take it anymore.

No one could blame Po for reaching out for her paw, saying her name in worry.  
No one could blame Tigress for trying to reassure him before passing out again.  
No one could blame Po for giving Lord Shen the glare that he did before lightly pushing Tigress away from the line of fire, like she did for him not too long ago.  
No one could even blame Tigress for reaching out to him as she floated away from him.

Could anyone blame Po for hugging Tigress when he was sure that she was okay? Maybe not – after all, the last time he saw her, she was broken and bleeding.

What more could he ask out of someone who was willing to go through so much to support him?

He didn't ask for more, yet Tigress pushed herself even more when it was them against Kai. The master of the tiger style had no idea how much she made the panda worry when she climbed up the wall to meet him, even if it was just to warn him that Kai was coming after the pandas and him.

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

There was the question again – three times the same question rang in his head. As he was looking up at the Jade Palace, he noticed the statue of Master Oogway, which had long been repaired after the defeat of Kai, and even felt the light breeze go through the fur on his face as he caught the sight of a few bright pink cherry blossoms ridding on the wind.

He didn't want to believe it, but after all that he went through, he slowly (but ever so surely) started coming to grips with maybe, just maybe, someone was trying to tell him something, and he was on the other side of reality that he was only so long ago, and that person had a statue at the Jade Palace, smiling down at him as more cherry blossoms encircled around him and the stone replica of who the panda believed was trying to talk to him.

Of all places, why here? Of all times, why _now_?

Did Master Oogway _not_ see that he was about to be _married_?

No, there was no way he could blame the great master for his thoughts concerning another woman. Master Oogway could not come into his head and make these strange things happen to him. This was his mind with his thoughts. Despite all of the strange things he had seen up to this point, he thought himself that Master Oogway wouldn't be involved unless it was for a good reason.

The thought of Master Oogway coming from the spirit realm to witness his wedding brought a warm feeling in his heart, honored that another legendary master (along with all of the other masters that were still alive) would be here. Then again, if he had been trying to object to the wedding, Po thought that he should tell someone else.

After all, it was death until you part.

So, then, why did the world look a little darker as he approached the palace?

He wanted to blame the exhaustion that he was feeling when he reached the top of the stairs, but as Tigress helped him up, he felt warm on his face again.

She was there.  
She was there.  
Why did it bother him so much?

It's probably from the fact that he wasn't inside the Jade Palace yet, where Shifu was waiting for him to unify him with his bride.

One step towards marriage, one step leaving behind… well… whatever he was feeling.

If only he knew, but the question that Tigress had asked him so long ago was ringing once again in his head.

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

 ** _Why I'm going is uncertain..._**


	3. Why I Was There

Everyone was there, looking at him.

Why wouldn't they be? They were only here because of him and Mei-Mei… well, primarily him. He would be surprised if there was anyone (other than the other pandas and Tigress) that knew she existed before it had been made known that they were courting.

Why was he going through this? Now that he was at the altar, he started to have second thoughts. Now that he thought about it, ever since the day started, he started to have second thoughts. Mei-Mei was a good girl, so there was nothing coherently wrong with going through this, right?

The last memory he had with Tigress was only just a few hours ago, when the tiger master had caught him hitting his head up against a mass, except that it was technically a really large bamboo pole in the forest that was about as big and thick as his skull. However, he put too much force into his head before he saw Tigress standing there, and the bamboo wacked him on the head pretty good. If he wasn't as hard-headed as the one who found him, maybe it would have knocked his lights out.

 _"Po, are you alright?" Tigress asked him as he was standing up to recover from the sudden smack on the head that he had received from the flexible bamboo, even going over to help him get up, if he was so capable of doing so._

 _Much to her relief, he was okay, and he got up with general ease, aside from the hissing that came out of his mouth due to the pain that still lingered._

 _"Yeah… I am," Po said looking at the bamboo he had just hit his head up against, "I'm just… training."_

 _Lying – one thing Tigress could easily catch on. That's probably why it never worked._

 _"Look, Po," Tigress said as she readjusted as she went a little closer to him to catch the bamboo from hitting his head again, "If you're going to keep 'training', you've really got to stop doing it on things that weren't meant for that line of work."_

 _"Well, what about you?" Po countered, "Iron-wood trees aren't exactly designed for training, yet you reaped seriously awesome benefits."_

 _"Iron-wood trees don't fight back," Tigress pointed out, releasing the bamboo so it would swing out the rest of its force without hitting either master._

 _"Good point."_

 _"So are you going to tell me why you're really out here?" Tigress asked, her tone obviously hinting that if the Dragon Warrior didn't, there would be specific consequences for hiding his feelings from her_.

That question… that one question... it kept repeating over and over again.

He could've sworn that with his own two eyes, he saw Tigress standing before him, clad like the bride before he blinked his eyes again on the account of the sun. If it had not been for the cheers from outside, he probably wouldn't have snapped back into his senses, realizing that it wasn't Tigress standing before him, but Mei-Mei, who was smiling at him.

As she was getting closer, Po smiled, but he realized that his heart was farther and farther away for every step she took towards him.

"Tigress?"

"Yes?"

He didn't realize that he actually said her name until she responded back. Normally, only his own voice would respond to his own thoughts. Still, he couldn't leave his friend hanging on the edge of curiosity because he really didn't have a question, so he let the first words that came to him leave his mouth.

"Do you think I'd be a good husband to Mei-Mei?"

"I don't see why you wouldn't be," Tigress replied as the bride continued own the isle to where Po was, "After all, you wouldn't be here if you weren't right?"

She was right – after all, he was the one that purposed to her, and Mei-Mei did accept. However, hearing Tigress actually speak about the matter reminded him of the same question he kept hearing over and over in his mind that still continued to play like a forgotten melody as everyone else heard a different song and witnessed the bride come next to him.

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

His eyes lightened at the thought, and it could be assumed that he was lightening on the account of seeing his bride in such a beautiful gown. However, anyone that could have been able to read Po's thoughts would have known that his mind was somewhere else altogether as the great Master Shifu began to speak.

"Honored guests…  
We are gathered here to witness the union of Po, the esteemed Dragon Warrior, and his bride, Mei-Mei."

Why was he here? He realized that, after all this time of reminiscing about the memories he had of Tigress, he never answered the question for his current situation.

Of course, he was here to get married, of course, but as he saw his bride, he realized that he wasn't completely honest with Tigress a few days ago.

 _"Nothing… I'm just… really nervous."_

 _He couldn't say it – not when it was about to be married._

 _"Being nervous before marriage seems really normal to me. You normally eat when you're really nervous or really upset…"_

 _"Well, it's not like I can go back into the Jade Palace to get something to eat..._  
 _Besides, bamboo is actually pretty good…"_

 _For a minute, Tigress looked at him in disbelief, rather surprised by such a response. However, what she did next was even more surprising:_  
 _She laughed._

 _It wasn't a full, deep laugh, but she was still laughing, and it made the poor panda blush under his fur. The only twinge of guilt was on the account that he was to be married within a few hours._

 _He pushed the feelings down his huge belly as Tigress looked at him._

 _"What? Bamboo is actually really good, Tigress! You should try it sometime!"_

 _"Whatever you say, Po, whatever you say."_

"Now, although I believe that I don't really need to ask this, but I shall do it anyway – if _any_ of you believe that this man and this woman should not be unified in holy matrimony, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

That's the problem: he didn't have any peace with this matter.

In fact, it was the lack of peace he had in his heart that made him click.

 _"Po, why are you really out here?"_

Po had not realized it until sometime later (when everyone was staring at him) that he had, indeed, said something. All of the family, friends, and even his bride was looking at him with either shocked and/or surprised looks.

It didn't take him too long to realize what he had said. More importantly, he came to realize why he had said it. Breathing in deeply, he looked at the audience and then at back at his bride, knowing all too well that the image of Tigress had flashed in the back of his mind again.

He had just answered the question that kept repeating back to him.

Yes, the original question had to do with his intention of going to take on Lord Shen, but this was a whole new situation which involved different circumstances with the same meaning – who he was on the inside.

He had always listened to what was going on inside his heart, so why was today any different?  
Why did his today have to be any different than the days it took to get here?

Po knew the answer – it took him a long time to get it (heck, even as far as to be at the altar with someone else), but he finally understood why the question was ringing back into his mind.

He knew that it would be better for him to do what he was about to do now instead of going with this chosen future. Po knew that he would have a lot of explaining to do, and perhaps even more apologizes, but one thing continued to ring over and over again, and it was the simple fact that he just couldn't go through with this.

After all, that's just what he had said just a few minutes ago.

"I can't." he said more boldly and with understanding.

This made most of the crowd gasp, youth look at each other in confusion, some of the elders faint, and a certain crane to drop half of his beak.

"What?" Shifu finally asked the groom in the whole crowd of murmuring about why Po had suddenly said such things, "Po, I don't understand – you _love_ Mei-Mei, don't you?"

 _That_ was the word he was looking for. He couldn't believe how easy it was to get the answer, but he had now realized that he was correlating that specific word with the wrong woman.

He couldn't do this…  
He just couldn't do this.

"I-I'm sorry, Master Shifu," Po said, "I thought I knew what I was doing… but I guess I just didn't see it until I got here."

"And what were you looking for?" Shifu asked.

Po didn't have to answer right away, but after calming his nerves, he turned to look at the confused masters, friends, and family, all eyes on him into why after coming so far, he wanted to stop.

"Everyone," Po announced, "I know that you all came here to see Mei-Mei and I get married, and I'm sorry for all of you that especially came from far away to see this chapter in history."

He looked down and closed his eyes for a minute as murmurs were exchanged, the Furious Five, who had been by his side the entire time, watched him with curiosity, Tigress perhaps who looked the most concerned as Po looked back at the audience to continue his explanation.

"However, I think there are some really important things you need to know about this part of history. For the longest time, I thought I was okay with it, and maybe even go as far as learning to enjoy what was going to later happen to the rest of my life on the account of this vow… but now I realized that I'd be a very unhappy panda if I went through with this."

Everyone gasped as Po turned to face Mei-Mei, taking both paws into his own.

"Mei-Mei," Po said, "You do know that our parents wanted us to be together, and that this was all planned before infancy without our consent?"

She nodded.

"Well," Po said, looking down at the paws that he was holding, sighing in slight frustration to make sure the words that were coming out of his mouth sounded right in his head first, "Please understand that I can't go through with this _not_ because of _you_ , but because I had found happiness elsewhere. I know that I was the one who proposed to you, and I'm sorry that I've made you go through with this in the first place, but I only went through with it in obligation to the betrothal…"

There was another wave of gasping, his biological father cringing a little, oblivious until now that his son had been feeling this way the whole time.

"…But I now realize that _both_ of us deserve to find happiness – everyone does – not through something we had no control over, but because we decided… and I hope you can forgive me."

Po didn't even have the heart to look at Mei-Mei anymore. His eyes were shut, and shame was stricken all over his face, but he knew what he was feeling, and meant every word of it – even if it hurt worse than acupuncture.

Anyone that had not fainted yet from the sudden turned of events gasped in unison as the bride gently pulled her paw out of her ex-groom's grip and placed them on top of his tightened fists.

He looked up at her, surprised that she had unlocked the hold. However, he was even more surprised that she looked more than indifferent from how things were going. In fact, of all people to be doing so right now, she was _smiling_! Smiling! Anyone who knew Mei-Mei would know that the smile was not only genuine, but real as she looked at the Dragon Warrior who had just a few minutes ago declined her.

"I understand," she said plainly, "And I want to find happiness too, so go find yours before you lose it again."

For a short time, Po turned to his biological father, saying, "I'm sorry… I respect our ancestors and their intentions… but I just can't… _we_ just can't…"

Everyone was surprised how all of this was going, even all of the Furious Five as Po turned to look at them, a smile on his face that was both content yet very sad. How could he be sad when he just publically announced that he was in an arranged marriage that he wished to not partake of in the first place?

It was hard to tell, but for a moment, Po's eyes locked on Tigress, and she knew he was looking at her, but what startled her the most was the tears that were on the edge of his eyes.

"I'm sorry…" he said, "I'm so sorry."

Without another word, Po stormed out of the Jade Palace, many of his friends and family getting up to watch him part as he went down the stairs that lead into the marketplace. Those outside were wondering why only Po was leaving, and why he gave a bow to Oogway's statue before taking off like a bolt of lightning.

What happened that made him change so? That's what everyone wanted to know.

However, only a select few had bits and pieces, and only until now did it all start coming together.

"Someone go after Po," Shifu ordered, still surprised that after all the arrangements, he chose now to bring it up.

"No."

Everyone looked at bride who was almost a wife.

"Po doesn't need just anyone right now," Mei-Mei said, turning to the Furious Five, "Tigress, why don't you go after him?"

"Me?"

"Yes – you're the one who knows Po the best. I think he needs your ear right now…"

Tigress wasn't exactly sure what she had meant, but after looking down at Shifu, she obtained her agreement from the red panda to go after the much larger black one, who once again put an interesting mark on China's history. Turning to the others, she told the other Furious Five that she would be back and made her way in the same direction Po and went not too long ago, the master of the tiger style calling out his name.

"What was _that_ all about?" Monkey asked.

Crane couldn't say anything – he was still in agape from the turn of events.

"Yeah," Mantis agreed, who jumped on Monkey's head, "I thought, you know, Po had the hots for Mei-Mei."

"No, he doesn't…"

The monkey and the mantis on his head turned to look at Viper, whom was looking at the door with the one who was once the bride. She didn't keep the lock at the door though, for her mind sparked in curiosity at the fact that Mei-Mei had taken the whole affair so well, compelling the young dancing snake to observe her before she spoke her thoughts.

"Did you know this whole time that Po was in love with Tigress?"

Monkey and Mantis gave Viper a look, surprised that in the present circumstances that she was specific about Po's other lover.

"I did," Mei-Mei replied, a gentle smile still on her face.

"Is that why you suggested that Tigress go after him?"

"Yes," Mei-Mei answered, turning to look at Viper, "Tigress knows more about Po than I could ever know during our one month courtship."

"If you knew all of this," Monkey chimed in with amazement, "That Po was in love with Tigress, _why_ did you go through with… well… all of _this_?"

"Yeah," Mantis agreed, "Some girls would have just made it easier and break up with them before they got this far."

Mei-Mei continued to hold some of her smile as she looked back at the door, even though some of it was lost by the time she shifted her gaze away from them. Then again, it wasn't too long before she looked down at the jade floor with a certain peace over her.

"Courtship and dating are not always one in the same, since it was without our decision to be together. Besides, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on Po that he cared deeply about someone more than anything in the whole world," Mei-Mei explained, "It just took me a while to figure out who it was… but I guess Po just had to be at the altar to see who he was truly in love with."

Viper turned her gaze away from Mei-Mei, looking back at the door in thought. Given what she knew, she was more surprised than anything.

She could only hope that everything would be okay.

Viper had to hope for that much, and with that, she smiled.

"Yeah," Viper said, "I guess he did…"

Indeed, they did… and so did he.

 _ **Why I was there: for reasons I couldn't handle...**_

* * *

 **Artist's Comments**

So some of you who were wondering, you're probably saying, "About time!", right?

Well, now that it's out there, and you've reached the end of the chapter, let me elaborate more on what I had said back in chapter one. Do you remember what I had said about the _Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special_? Well, if you notice that throughout the entire film (spoilers for those who haven't bothered to watch it by now), but what is most important to Po has been on the back of his mind and affecting his duties to host. Well, I decided to take that as how Po would react to marrying someone he didn't love. Mei-Mei has always been portrayed as a rival of Tigress when it came to Po's affections, but I figured that I cut her some slack - besides, she doesn't seem remotely interested in him, and you'll see why in _Kung Fu Panda 3_.

You'll also know why there's bold italic words at the bottom too.

Now that you've got an explanation, go ahead to the last chapter.


	4. Why I'm Here

She knew where she was going – more importantly, she knew where _he_ was going.

Whatever he was running off of, it made him incredibly fast, perhaps so fast that it was no surprise that Tigress had lost his shadow not too long ago, and his actual figure in the crowd due to everyone closing the gap between her and him long before then. If she had not known where he was going, perhaps she would be more worried, but she had to give herself a minute to breath after was able to get the crowd to realize that it was Master Tigress they were blocking and eventually make up for the ground she had lost, the exhaustion that was hitting her coming from not only the weariness of today, but how tired she really was catching up with her due to yesterday's events and time before that which accumulated to now.

If it were up to her, she would have kept yesterday a secret – that was the whole reason why it was supposed to have been a secret in the first place. However, it was anything but a secret between herself and a close friend of hers that had witnessed the endeavor at the time of its occurrence.

 _The clouds were dark, but so were her eyes._  
 _It was raining, but so were the tears that were falling from her face._  
 _It had been a whole week since it had been made known that the Dragon Warrior had purposed to his beloved. What made it worse was that she had said yes. The only thing that could possibly top it off was the fact that it wasn't her._

 _Then again, she wasn't the one who had been courting Po for a whole month. If she didn't know what she knew about the matter now, perhaps she would have stopped them and none of this would be happening. Maybe if she had opened her big mouth, like she was accustom to doing concerning Po, none of this would be going on._

 _However… this was something decided long before Po was born… In fact, it was something decided before she was even thought about by her parents, unless of course she was already growing in her mother's womb at the time. It wasn't as if she would know beforehand what song her heartstrings would be playing, much less during her infancy. She was a master of Kung-Fu, not an immortal._

 _Although, maybe the panda gave her too much credit for certain things, like being very hardcore._

 _Yes, she was hardcore, but she also had limits. The enemies that Po took on alone were prime examples of her limit. It was a pain for her enemies to get her there, but she still had limits. If she had such a god-hood state, like some people gave her credit for, then maybe the world would be different._

 _One thing different would likely be the idea of having a certain panda by her side, but only if he really wanted to._

 _That was the thing – he didn't want to be by her side. If he did, he wouldn't have been courting Mei-Mei and following the traditions set before his own time._

 _So there was only one way to work out these feelings, and had been gone from the Jade Palace whenever she could during Po's courtship._

 _No one was supposed to know, and for the longest time, no one did, but as she was so close to getting rid of what was waging war on the inside of her, someone had discovered._

 _Yes, she wasn't there when she was going it, but it was strange going out to train in the pouring rain, punching the Iron-wood trees and skipping meals in the name of meditation. She didn't have to tell anyone why she was meditating, some too scared to ask, but as long as she was able to get Shifu's approval, that's all that mattered._

 _She didn't even have to tell Shifu why she was meditating._

 _Tigress just had to go somewhere – let it all out without taking out on the one person she knew would hear her out. For the first time in a whole, she had to talk to someone or something that wouldn't talk back. It wasn't as soft, but it was the next alternative._

 _She couldn't tell anyone why she was doing this, especially Po._

 _By the time she was into the 'training', she had already broken one of the Iron-wood trees. It was funny how something so hard could break so easily if you hit it hard enough or did it the right way._

 _Tigress was just like the Iron-wood tree, and not an exception to being broken._

 _She was even at the second tree when she started to cry. Knowing she was alone, she let the tears fall as fast as the rain was soaking her fur, but audible sobs were foreign to her, so she just let the pain through the means of growling._

 _Not all of it was out by the time she broke that tree too._

 _Anger and frustration came out of her mouth like a sigh, turning away from the second tree that was broken before her, she turned to the first tree that had been broken and sat on it, due to the fact that so much of her pain was put into it that it actually fell over._

 _The second tree was battered, but it had not tipped over._

 _That didn't change the fact how she was feeling, covering her face with her bruised paws._

 _"How long are you going to keep doing this?"_

 _She glanced up at a tree that had not been touched yet – it was Viper._

 _"As long as I need to."_

 _"You know this is crazy, right?"_

 _"Where are you going with this, Viper?"_

 _"Why aren't you going to tell him?"_

 _"You know why I can't say anything – they're betrothed!"_

 _"Maybe he'll change his mind if you say something!"_

 _"I can't, Viper – dishonoring his family's wishes is-"_

 _"-'Is what', Tigress? Look, I understand that you want to follow tradition, but marriage is a one-time thing and binding for life! Once he's married, that's it – you can't tell him then."_

 _"Do you think I don't know that? Besides, Po's happiness is far more important than my own."_

 _Tigress looked down at the ground._

 _"His happiness is far more important than mine. Ever since he defeated Tai-Lung, I've done what I could to support him – I don't see why today is any different."_

 _"Tigress, today is different, and not just because of the marriage! Why can't you just admit that you're in love with him?"_

She decided to take onto all fours for better speed in order to find Po, but the words from before continued to ring in her mind, especially what she had said to Viper that evening.

Tigress had hugged her in appreciation, knowing all too well that Viper was just trying to be supportive of her. She did appreciate it, as one friend would do another, but she knew that if she were to be remotely happy for Po's betrothal to Mei-Mei, then she would have to put her feelings as far away from herself as possible.

Even if it hurt like hell for just a moment, Po's eternal happiness was more important for a lifetime.

It was from this that she could find genuine happiness at the thought of Po being married to another. It took a long time for her to come to grips with it, but that night made it clear, and she knew that she could be there by Po's side to see him become a husband (even if it wasn't _her_ husband), just like how a strong wind was all clouds needed to move the rain away.

After all, all of the inner turmoil she released into the void, she did for him.

It was the whole reason she was going where she knew he would be right now. Whatever her body, mind, and soul were capable of doing, Tigress would do everything to make sure he was okay.

Before now, Tigress had consistently proved her point – from trying to knock some sense into Po to running halfway across China just to warn him. Today was no different – she _needed_ to be there for him not _just_ because she wanted to, but because she knew that he needed her.

After just walking out on his bride, he must be devastated. If anything, he'd probably be worse. All the more reason to find him as soon as possible – just to make sure he didn't do anything reckless.

It was as if her feelings of respect turned into friendship, which now became this pool of uncertain feelings. When she found out it was love, she had set up a barrier taller than the heavens and wider than the wall of China around her already hard heart – she would even dare say that there might have been more than one barrier. It was this same barrier (or set of barriers) that pushed down thoughts that almost seemed foreign – a hope that maybe she still had a chance with him.

She mentally slapped herself for thinking that – this wasn't about her – it was _never_ about her – this was about _Po_ , and relief swept over her as she came to the destination, even more relieved that Po as actually there.

However, as she slowly approached him, she took notice that there was no bamboo bent or split in half, which told her that he wasn't trying to hurt himself, or at least had not done so already. Then again, that almost made her worry _more_ because of the fact that he was just sitting there on the large log that had been placed near the waterfall long before Po or Tigress had discovered it, perfect for just sitting down and thinking deep within the bamboo forest.

It wasn't too far from where Po had just thrown up earlier, but now it was Tigress that was feeling sick in the stomach – not from being nervous, but from how hurt she was seeing her friend like this.

Her heart felt worse, but she sucked up the pain and boldly went over to her friend, speaking up as she did so.

"Po?"

He shot up his head and looked over at Tigress as she approached him, not really unlocking his gaze off of her as she went over to his side and sat on the log over on his left. Once she sat down next to her friend, she breathed deeply, taking in the view of the waterfall (which was quite beautiful for such a place), trying not to lose her cool because Po was looking intently at her. After all, she had to do her best to be strong.

"Are you alright?"

It was a silly question, but it was the only way that she could think about starting the conversation. She _was_ worried, so why try to hide it? Anyone who was there would have been worried about him. In fact, anyone who wasn't there at the waterfall was worried about them like Tigress was right now.

The only thing that they were unaware of was the fact that Po had been crying, and it didn't take long for Tigress to realize this when she saw his eyes – they were puffy and they were still wet because of the tears that were still flowing from his eyes.

In the best sense, Po _looked_ as hurt as Tigress ifelt/i. However, Po was also feeling the same way Tigress was feeling – maybe even worse.

"Po…"

Without another word, Po leaned his much bigger body against the strong arms of the female tiger. Remembering all too well that this was the same way that he had hugged her after the defeat of Lord Shen (the only difference being that he was hugging her around the waist and his head was on her shoulder), she hugged the distraught panda back around and over his shoulders, as if to protect him from the pain he was suffering.

If only the source of his pain was an individual – Tigress could just beat the living shit out of him (or her) and just be done with it.

However, today wasn't as easy – Po was fighting against _himself_ , and this particular situation did not need a training session. He needed someone that would allow him to put his shoulder on and cry his heart out. He needed someone that wouldn't care how hard he sobbed, how many tears were left on their shoulder, or how long it took to let it all out – after all, the waterfall was doing a good job at muffling any of the heart-wrenching sobs he was making.

The only person who heard the painful song was Tigress.  
The only person who was hugging him right now was Tigress.  
In fact, if he could audibly say so, the only person Po felt that he _really_ needed right now was Tigress.

There was more he wanted to say other than that, but he was just internally relieved that he could pour out all of his pain in front of her and not be judged. He had been crying so hard, that he actually started to hold onto the female tiger to make sure that the tears didn't drown out his consciousness. Tigress felt Po's paws holding on to her even tighter, and responded by having a more firm hold on Po.

She did what she could to be gentle though: she didn't want to break his shoulders on the account of her great strength.

"I'm here Po," she said gently, placing her left cheek on his head as she rubbed his back as softly as she knew how, "And don't worry: I'm not going anywhere."

"Please don't," pleaded the mighty fallen Dragon Warrior, making Tigress' heart skip a beat, "Just… don't go…"

Po _knew_ that she wasn't going anywhere, and Tigress didn't want to, so the fact that Po pleaded anyway made her worry about him even more. The Dragon Warrior couldn't see his tiger friend, but anyone who could have saw the pain in her eyes, and those who would look hard enough could see the small tears that were forming on either side of her face.

She didn't like seeing him like this: it was perfectly normal, but she didn't like seeing him like this. Tigress had to be his stone tower while he was sobbing against her, even if the sensitive parts of her were tearing apart.

Tigress wanted to say something, but it was honestly hard to come up with something to say as Po's sobs pass into the day and the warmth of the sun added extra comfort to the distraught couple.

It wasn't until he sighed that Tigress believed that he might be remotely okay. Okay might have been an overstatement, but that was the only word that came to Tigress' mind that indicated that Po might be ready to talk.

Tigress felt even worse when she heard him hiccup – it must've been really bad for those to choke out.

Nonetheless, Tigress was patient with her friend as she got up and helped Po do the same thing, leading him to the waterfall that had put a barrier between him and Tigress from the outside word from ever hearing whatever feelings reached his lips in audible form. Sure, this wasn't the way she had hoped to be holding Po's paw, but she admitted to herself that it did feel nice (the irony of the matter being that she couldn't feel anything in her paws in the first place, continuing to focus on the panda as he took a drink from the constantly running water provided by mother nature herself.

Yes, the water _was_ fresh – Po found that out by accident a long time ago, when they had first discovered the place. It later became a sanctuary for Po when he didn't want his feelings seen by others. Tigress, like now, had followed him to this remote area after one of their more horrible fights. That was actually the first time she had seen the panda cry, but each time hurt just as much, or more, than before.

Once Po had his fill of the flowing water, he gasped a little to suck in more air through his now moisturized lips, feeling better after mentally composing himself. Then again, there were likely bags under his tired eyes, and from his expression, he still felt horrible. He could've eaten the bamboo around them, but because he didn't make a remark about being hungry after just crying, Tigress came to the conclusion that Po was more than just sad – he was _worried_.

He hated it when he was upset, and ate to his heart's content when it was feeling just so, but he performed the exact opposite whenever he was worried.

"I couldn't do it."

Well, that answered Tigress' question – and this time, she didn't even have to ask. That told the tiger master that the Dragon Warrior, in his weakened, defeated state, was willing to talk.

"'Couldn't do' what, Po?" she asked gently.

"You saw how I lost it in there," Po said, "I couldn't marry Mei-Mei."

"You didn't seem lost to me," Tigress said, "Your reasons that you said at the alter weren't crazy at all."

"But I made Mei-Mei expect something that I didn't want to do," Po protested, "It was a _forced_ engagement – I couldn't go through with it."

"But you didn't completely go through with it in the end," Tigress said, hoping to comfort him, "…So why didn't you?"

"I already explained that at the altar – I couldn't marry because I had found happiness."

"Elaborate."

Po looked up at Tigress, since he had been looking down at his refection this whole time. He wanted to say something, but he thought it might have been obvious when he told everyone – apparently he was wrong.

"…When I said that I had found happiness," Po said, looking back down at the water, "I meant that I was in love with someone else."

"If you loved this significant other so much, why did you go through with it?"

"I thought maybe I could get over how I felt about the significant other, but I _didn't_ because I _couldn't_ : I just cared too much about her."

"And who is she?"

Po chuckled a little.

"What is this, a confession moment?"

"I'm serious, Po, I can keep it a secret from her until you're ready – it's just us."

"See… that's the thing… Putting it _that_ way, then I couldn't tell you then because if you kept it a secret, she would already know… and that's because the girl I like is already here."

It didn't take long for Tigress to process that information, and realization immediately dawned on her as she thought about what Po had just said. If she couldn't keep it a secret because the girl he liked would already know, and because it was just them, then that would mean…

She felt a twinge in her heart, like a secret door that went through all of the barriers she put up around her heart. A strange, surprised, happy feeling, but while she figured out really quick who he was talking about, accepting it was a completely different game.

"Po…" she said, her tone half flattered and half confused, "You don't possibly mean…?"

He nodded.

"Then… you refused to get married because…?"

He nodded, his eyes closing tightly before sighing.

"Why couldn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't know," he admitted, looking away, "I kept making up one excuse after another about why I couldn't tell you – the fact we're friends, or maybe you weren't even looking… or maybe that we're both different species… but the excuse of getting married to someone else took the cake and ate it…"

He sighed.

"I realized that the more excuses that I was making to not say anything, the harder it was to keep it in. I didn't want to hurt you, Tigress, really I didn't, but liking someone is one thing… being in love is something completely different… and… and I almost lost that.

When I realized that I was about to lose that… I didn't want my heart to keep beating… not when I couldn't have you in my life."

"Po… I'll always be here…"

"But you wouldn't _be_ with me… that's the part that hurts most of all."

Man, he had it bad, and just from the words that Po spoke, she had an idea of just how much Po liked her. While she did understand the excuses, she also grasped that there was an even bigger excuse that was bigger and more extreme than him going as far as getting married to someone else.

That excuse was fear, and Tigress knew it all too well – she grew up with it.

Pain cringed in her chest at the thought of Po being scared of her, regardless if it was genuine fear or the feelings he just confessed to. Nonetheless, she did her best to understand this from the perspective of the panda. In fact, now that she thought about it, it was as if fear scared him away from making vows he probably would never mean. Yes, Mei-Mei wasn't bad, and neither was Po, but they both deserved better – both deserved to find happiness, just like what Po said.

Thus, the very fact that she was responsible for Po's happiness gave her a warm feeling inside that she wasn't accustom too. It made her incredibly happy, but Po didn't know that.

In fact, no one knew except Viper, but that wasn't fair for Po, especially after confessing how happy she made him.

A smile began to form on her face as she let those feelings that were reaching out to her sink into her heart, breaking many of the barriers that were intended to keep feelings out. Then again, it's not like she needed them anymore. It would take time, but what was important right now was that Po _loved_ her, and that was enough.

Reaching out, she extended her paw to reach for the cheek farthest away from her that belonged to Po, slowly, and carefully, she turned his head, giving a sense that she was in control (especially now since she needed to give him an answer) while not trying to do it _so_ hard that she would scare the poor panda away.

After all, she _needed_ to remain still in order to do what she was about to do.

Tigress remembered for a moment about a conversation she and Po had some time ago. They were watching the sunset and remembered that Po had made a really interesting remark about her eyes. "Sunset Eyes" he had said that fateful day, primarily because of how her eyes were red and yellow, and even illuminated a bit in the darkness, which never really had full affect until the sun had completely hidden itself under the horizon. It was an interesting gesture, but she would have a hard time forgetting how Po gave her such an affectionate nickname.

While his eyes were the color of jade, it would have not been appropriate to call him "Jaded Eyes", for such a term implied that he was always tired, and it would have been obvious through the windows of his soul. However, he was never always tired, but today seemed to have been a rarity, for he _did_ look rather jaded in the eyes not because of the color, but because of the crying he had just did not too long ago.

She was not sure if she could prevent him from ever crying again, but she hoped that maybe her feelings could reach to him as she put her other paw on his other cheek that didn't have one since he was looking straight into her eyes now.

His eyes widened even more as Tigress closed her sunset eyes leaned in towards Po, moving his head a little to reach for his lips and lock them with her own.

Po really wanted to smack himself now – just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  
Then again, the kiss seemed pretty real to him, and regardless if he was dreaming (maybe passing out during the altar scene and everyone freaking out on him), or not, one thing seemed pretty certain – he would have a hard time forgetting this.

Even as the lips that kissed him parted, he seemed to be like a statue for a short time, caught in a state of something sweet that he almost forgot. Tigress seemed patient as he slowly opened his eyes to look at her, a rare smile striking across her face.

He wasn't dreaming.

Still, he wanted to be sure.

He was just about to do it to, but as he was raising his paw to smack himself across the face, the reflexes belonging to the master of the tiger style beat him, grabbing his paw with a very firm hold and a light cross look forming on her face.

"I can assure you, Po," Tigress said, "All of this is very much real, and that you're not passed out at the altar with all of us wondering if you're okay."

"You know…" Po said thoughtfully, lowering his paw, "That's almost the same thing the Tigress in my dreams would say."

She laughed a little, lightly punching him in the shoulder, only doing it hard enough so she wouldn't hurt him.

For a moment, they looked at the water, but in all honesty, neither of them wanted to stay like this.

"Hey…" Po finally spoke up, "Thanks for talking me out of it."

" _I_ talked you out of getting married?"

"Yeah… do you remember when we were on the boat to go fight Shen?"

"I do."

"Well, I know that you meant it for another situation, but I kept remembering you asking me why I was there. It made me realize that I was there because I _had_ to be – not because I wanted to be."

"Would you want to be there if _we_ got married?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course!"

Both laughed some, and it did Tigress' heart good to see him laugh again, it almost made her blush, which is the whole reason why she looked away.

"So… um…"

His voice compelled her to look back at him.

"…Now that we both know how we fell about each other… would it be weird to… I don't know… ask for another kiss?"

Affectionate and gentlemen-like – those are traits she could live with.

As she leaned in to give him the kiss he had asked for, he groaned in disappointment, earning a rather puzzled look from Tigress.

"Oh man…" Po groaned, emphasizing the vowel of the last word, "How are we going to explain to everyone about this?"

"Po," Tigress said, turning his head back to her, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, I'd highly appreciate it if you just enjoyed the moment."

Now _that_ she learned from Po, which earned Tigress a smile from her panda.

"So would you consider courtship with me then?"

Tigress smiled, leaning into Po as their foreheads connected.

She would have made a smart remark about _not_ having to ponder about it anymore, but she didn't want to kill the moment – she had come to enjoy this newfound serenity with Po too much. After all, she knew what he had meant when he asked about considering.

"I'd be honored, Po, but I believe the more modern term is 'dating' and 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'."

That too she also learned from Po – that didn't mean she _couldn't_ get a smart remark into the moment they were sharing together. Besides, Po laughed anyway, yet didn't break the connection of their foreheads as the sunset gazed into bright jade, tiger paws touching the face of her dumpling as panda paws caressed the cheeks of his lover. However, what idid/i break the connection was the desire of the other's lips as they locked them together into another kiss. The only difference was that Tigress had moved her arms to hug around his neck as Po answered with a gentle hug around her waist, both sharing each other's warmth that neither wanted to end or let go.

Perhaps they were too deep into the moment, as normally they would be able to detect the presence of others around them. However, they were oblivious to the five pairs of eyes that were observing them from a great distance, yet just close enough to tell it was Po and Tigress.

"Man," Mantis said, who recovered his spot on Monkey's head, "How in the world are we going to explain _this_ to everyone?"

"I don't know," Monkey replied, "But the bride seemed okay with how everything went. Maybe everyone won't be so hard on Po and Tigress _because_ of that."

"I'm just glad that Tigress' feelings reached Po," Viper said, "I was surprised she was even okay with going through it, much less be there to see him get married to another."

"What's important now is that Po has given himself a chance with happiness," Shifu said, earning surprised looks from his students, "After all, he _did_ say so himself that everyone deserves a chance to be happy, even if it didn't come through betrothal. And from the look of things, Tigress has given herself a chance with happiness as well."

"Master Shifu," Crane asked, "Are you _really_ okay with Po and Tigress being together?"

"If I had been the me I was _before_ I met the panda," Shifu replied with honesty, "Perhaps I would have asked you all to personally send me to Chorh-gom Prison."

Mantis and Monkey laughed a little at that, but Shifu continued.

"But Po has grown up a lot ever since I met him – from just learning Kung-Fu to even helping _me_ find inner peace, and for that, I'm grateful."

His gaze turned away from Crane to look back at the newfound couple, whom were holding paws, touching foreheads, and looking into each others eyes.

"But if there is _one_ thing that he has taught me, it was believing in what is inside your heart. I have always been a person who went by logic and reason, but there are just some things you can't use logic for – love is such a thing…

And I believe that Po needed to go through great extents to remind himself of that, which is why he was there. Now that he understands, he is there, and after showing me what potential he has, I cannot be more proud of Po for doing the right thing and Tigress for believing in him."

He gave his other students one last look before smiling before walking off.

"We _all_ need a little more happiness in this world."

The legendary red panda could not be closer to the truth when he said those things, and it was sensible why he was happy for Po and Tigress – they had found a bit more happiness in each other, and it was likely that they had found the rest of the happiness they were searching for.

After all, _that's_ why they where here.

 _ **...but why I'm here is because I love you.**_

* * *

 _ **Where I'm going is without you  
**_

 _ **Why I'm going is uncertain**_

 _ **Why I was there: for reasons I couldn't handle**_

 _ **but why I'm here is because I love you**_

 _ **Where I was going was away from my heart**_

 _ **Why I went was insanity to me**_

 _ **Why I was there lead me to run**_

 _ **and why I'm here is because I love you.**_

 _ **So what am I really doing out here?**_

 _ **I'm here because I love you.**_

* * *

 **Artists Comments:**

So now for the answer you've all been waiting for.

Those words at the bottom of the pages for each chapter were part of the poem you see above. Yes, I wrote that poem myself, and I'm actually proud of it too - it's not everyday that I get enough feels for a poem. Can you believe it's been years since I wrote one? Oh well.

On another note, thanks for reading all the way to the end, and I hope you enjoyed.

May God's love, grace, and mercy be with us all.


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